The Great Gatsby soundtrack sampler hits the web

Go back to the '20s

The album isn't out until May, but a preview of The Great Gatsby soundtrack has just hit the web. Check out one of the most anticipated soundtrack of the year.

Show of hands: Who has read The Great Gatsby since we were required to read it in freshman year English class? No one?

OK, well let me tell you what happens. It’s 1922. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious millionaire in a lavish mansion who throws huge parties, is in love with Daisy Buchanan, and the whole thing is set to hip and modern dance music written and produced by Jay-Z.

Well, that’s not exactly F. Scott Fitzgerald’s version. It’s film director Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which opens on May 10.

As in every Baz Luhrmann film, the soundtrack is an integral part. With heavyweights like Kanye West, Jack White and Gotye, this is going to be one of the biggest movie soundtracks this year.

While you can’t buy the whole thing until May 7, a preview with 30-second clips of (most of) the tracks has hit the web. If the clips are any indication, the soundtrack is awesome.

The clips start with will.i.am’s “Bang Bang,” which (as he is want to do) Will raps over a version of another song — “The Charleston.” Maybe not the most original idea from Will, but the juxtaposition of old music and new styling certainly sets the tone for the whole soundtrack — if not the whole movie.

Also bridging that gap between the old and new is a stylish roaring '20s cover of Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra and Emeli Sandé.

Noticeably absent from the sampler, however, is the much anticipated Beyoncé and André 3000 cover of Amy Winehouse’s "Back to Black.” Plus, there’s no Jay-Z. But these song samples will definitely tide us over until we can buy the entire soundtrack.

So what do you think about the Gatsby soundtrack sampler? Which is your favorite track so far? Let us know in the comments.